Air Quality Management in African Cities: Key Outcomes from the G-STIC Pretoria 2025 Roundtable

On Friday 10 October 2025, a closed-door roundtable discussion on Air Quality Management (AQM) in African cities was held at the CSIR Knowledge Commons in Pretoria. Co-hosted by VITO, RESPIRA and CSIR, the session brought together experts and key actors from provincial and city-level government, meteorological services, research and academia, and funding agencies. The aim was to foster technical exchange and dialogue on the current status and future perspectives for monitoring and assessment of air quality in Southern Africa

Participants repeatedly stressed the transboundary nature of air pollution. “Air has no boundaries” was a recurring reflection, with examples drawn from emission flows across Gauteng and provincial borders with Mozambique and eSwatini. Seasonal dust events and long-range advection episodes illustrated how pollutants are transported over large distances, affecting regional weather and air quality. These discussions reinforced the need for cross-jurisdictional approaches, harmonisation, and strong regional coordination, with many calling for the breaking down of existing “silos”

A second major theme concerned the persistent science-to-policy gap. Although examples of monitoring networks, modelling tools and early-warning systems already exist, turning compelling evidence into concrete decisions remains difficult. Policymakers operate under different timelines and incentives, while administrative burdens in funding pipelines slow implementation. Participants asked pointedly: “Why is the data not enough? How do we move from data into action? How do we influence policy?” Practical, near-term scenarios that translate data into policy and implementation were requested 

The group also discussed the challenges surrounding data quality, openness and ownership. “Garbage in, garbage out” became shorthand for concerns about the reliability of data entering models. Participants called for open, model-ready datasets and clarity on who curates emissions inventories. Fragmentation was seen as a major obstacle, with monitoring stations often owned by different actors – industry, government or other institutions – making centralised databases difficult. While low-cost sensors are expanding coverage, they raise questions about quality control and integration with reference networks 

Regarding modelling capacity, efforts such as regional modelling by CSIR/SAWS and city-level PM forecasts in Nairobi and Nakuru were noted, but gaps remain in computing resources and harmonisation. A pan-regional community of practice, inspired by European examples such as FAIRMODE, was proposed to align methods and inventories and explore alternative AI-based modelling approaches that require fewer computational resources 

Participants emphasised the importance of alignment with climate and health. Stronger links between meteorological services, air-quality services and the health sector were urged, including the creation of a regular AQ & Health steering mechanism. Health co-benefits of air-quality action were highlighted as a persuasive tool for reaching policymakers, especially in relation to compound risks such as heat combined with air pollution 

Key ideas converged around the principle of “not reinventing the wheel.” Participants proposed piloting cross-boundary demonstrations in high-leverage corridors to test the full chain from emissions to monitoring, modelling, policy response and implementation. Further actions included creating a Taskforce for Emissions Inventory, strengthening and harmonising monitoring-modelling capacities, embedding health from the outset, and forming an informal Air Quality Expert Group to coordinate knowledge exchange and speak with one voice at future Clean Air Forums.

The side event was organised as part of the 8th G-STIC Conference on technological innovations for the SDGs. Dr Nick Rahier delivered a short presentation on how combining big data with “thick data” can support the pursuit of clean air in the Global South.

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